Anastasia Myskina [Images] is doubtful for the defence of her French Open title due to a nagging shoulder injury.

"I'm still optimistic, but we won't know until the end of next week," her coach Jens Gerlach told Reuters by telephone from Germany [Images] on Friday.

"She's not 100 percent now and she's receiving treatment at home in Moscow [Images]. If she can't train the week before Roland Garros, it will be difficult for her to go there and play the way she wants to."

Russian Myskina pulled out of next week's Italian Open on Friday. Earlier this week in Berlin she lost 6-2, 1-6, 6-4 to German wild card Julia Schruff and she has only reached only one semi-final this year.

"Right now it's hard to think positive, but I'm hoping everything will turn out okay," Myskina told Reuters by telephone from Berlin.

"I'm trying to do my best, but it's not really working. When you lose a lot of matches, you lose confidence."

Myskina is unable to practise serving because of her injury.

"I'm not going to find any excuses for why I'm losing right now," Myskina added. "I'm not losing because of my serve I'm losing because I'm not showing my best tennis from the baseline."

Myskina's Fed Cup team mate Elena Dementivea said her friend was also having personal problems.

"She's not the type of person who makes excuses for anything," Gerlach said.

FIRST RUSSIAN

Myskina became the first Russian woman to win a Grand Slam singles title when she beat Dementieva in the 2004 French Open final.

She lost in the Olympic [Images] semi-final to eventual champion Justine Henin-Hardenne before winning a tournament in Moscow and leading her nation to the Fed Cup title.

Myskina ended 2004 ranked a career-high number three and declared her intention of taking over the number one ranking but after being upset by Nathalie Dechy at the Australian Open [Images], her game went downhill.

"I had so many unforced errors against Dechy and was so bad that after that I began to lose confidence because I felt weak," said the sixth-ranked Myskina.

"I have to work harder, but sometimes when you lose a match [like the one against Shruff] you don't want to play. I have to learn to win the important points again."

Gerlach said Myskina's injury might be a result of playing too much over the past three years.

The Russian has played 22 tournaments in the last 12 months, more than anyone in the top 10 except for Vera Zvonareva [Images].

"The way she plays, she doesn't win a lot of easy matches and has to fight a lot in three setters," Gerlach said.

"She's put herself through a lot. She was due for a break sooner or later."

Gerlach said that if Myskina's shoulder does heal in time for the French Open starting later this month she must rediscover the fire in her belly.

"She's been a champion and knows how to dig deep like a champion," he said. "If she gets to Paris and wins a couple of good matches, maybe she'll feel the magic of Roland Garros again."

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